POINT PLEASANT, West Virginia. (July 13, 2013) – Work is continuing on what will become the new home of the Mason County Sheriff’s Department. Crews with Lombardi Development Company of Follensbee have been working longer shifts four days a week to complete the project next spring. Work began in May and it’s estimated the renovation of the old Point Pleasant Hardware building should take around nine months to complete. Lombardi had the lowest bid for the project at $1.3 million.

As for what’s been going on lately at the construction site, County Administrator John Gerlach said a change order has been submitted for the work to put in a French drain to take care of a drainage problem on the first floor. Surface water had run into the building on the first floor and while it has been drying, workers moved to the second floor to begin framing work, including fire escapes and the area where storage lockers for the sheriff’s department will rest.

Gerlach said crews have also been sealing up back walls where the elevator will go and a trench has been cut in across the parking lot where the utility conduit was placed. The county is also getting an estimate for a change order on the windows on the second and third floors which are aged and allowing water condensation to seep in. The county will compare replacing the metal windows with caulking around them to make the repair.

Gerlach also added crews are buying locally, including getting lumber at Hogg and Zuspan. Crews have also been dumping fill dirt at property off of W.Va. 2 owned by David Rollins. Next week the French drain should be installed and then once the first floor dries, the new floor will be poured.

When all is said and done, the first floor of the building will be the home of the new sheriff’s department with the second floor being used for county storage as well as some storage for the sheriff’s department. The third floor also has considerable storage space as well as an apartment which the county is looking into possibly renting for additional income. Beth Sergent point pleasant register Work remains on schedule for the renovation of the old Point Pleasant Hardware building which should be ready to house the Mason County Sheriff’s Department in Spring 2014.

Beth Sergent [email protected]